📖 Meaning
Describes a person whose physical appearance is worn out and depleted, with a sallow or unhealthy complexion. It conveys both visible physical deterioration and a spiritless, exhausted state. The phrase emphasizes how hardship, illness, or worry has taken a visible toll on someone's looks.
📜 Origin Story
This phrase does not originate from a single specific literary work but is a commonly used descriptive expression in classical and literary Chinese. It combines 形容 (one's outward appearance) with 憔悴 (haggard and withered), a word that appears frequently in classical poetry and prose to depict the toll of grief, illness, or hardship on a person's visage. Similar imagery can be found in works dating back to the Han and Tang dynasties, where poets described the effects of longing and suffering on the body.
💡 Example Usage
经过连日奔波，他形容憔悴，看上去苍老了许多。
After days of nonstop travel, he looked haggard and worn, appearing to have aged considerably.
🏷️ Category
➕ Similar Idioms
➖ Opposite Idioms
🔤 Quick Facts
- Chinese: 形容憔悴
- Pinyin: xíng róng qiáo cuì
- Literal Translation: appearance, haggard and sallow
- Category: Condition
- Characters: 4